Overview

• Techem reports household heating costs have risen about 82% since 2021, consumption did not fall in 2024, and use is likely to increase again this year, keeping bills very high.
• The latest co2online Heizspiegel finds 2025 operating costs up across fuels, with pellets up about 20%, gas up 15%, heat pumps up 5%, and oil up 3%, and a 70 m² flat paying roughly €1,180 for gas versus €715 for a heat pump.
• District heating is currently the most expensive system yet shows lower average CO2 intensity (about 166 g/kWh) than natural gas (about 201 g/kWh), and roughly one‑third of multi‑family homes are connected.
• Fossil heating still dominates in multi‑family buildings at about 87%, Bavaria remains heavily reliant on oil and gas, and renters are reported to bear around 73% of CO2 charges.
• Experts caution that EU emissions trading from 2027 will raise fossil‑fuel costs, strengthening calls for heat pumps, digital controls, geothermal options, and cleaner district heat to stabilize prices.